A Broken Beginning
by kyoudaichan
Summary: Did you ever wonder what Gourry's life was like growing up? Is he really yogurt for brains? What caused the Gabriev family to fight over the Sword of Light? It all began with a terrible accident. What would you be willing to lose your life trying to protect?
1. The Children Play

**_Disclaimer:_**

_It should probably be obvious that my writing skills are clearly not on the professional level. Which leaves little doubt that I do **NOT OWN** Slayers, any of its characters._

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"Wow! It is even more amazing than I thought! Check this out!" swinging the sword eagerly, like the child he was, the skilled young swordsman called out to his twin brother hoping that he would share in his exuberance.

A somewhat spry and lanky eight year old boy endowed with silky, flowing blond hair reaching his waist, continued dancing around with his family's treasure as his older twin grimaced warily. "I don't know about this…."

The two Elmekian children stood in a clearing of a deep, flourishing forest. As the sunlight twinkled through the small openings in the tree leaves, the swift and almost musical rushing sound of the cascade could be clearly heard. On one edge of the clearing was the forest line. The luscious grass extended five or six feet past the last trees, and then the ground became rugged, like a solid rock, with some cracks and a few patches of dirt. At the other end of the clearing, was a cliff that dropped thirty feet to where the waterfall ended, housing a cavernous pool of frigid water.

After a few more minutes of torturing his nerves, the skeptical twin, decided to speak up again. Despite being older, he often found himself following the troublemaking schemes of the younger Gabriev boy. "Gourry! We are so dead if anyone finds out we stole the sword of light from Grandpa! Come on; let's put it back before anyone finds out!"

Pausing for a moment to inspect the sword with appreciation, Gourry turned to his nearly identical brother. They both had the same graceful locks, and peaceful blue eyes. Both boys were unusually tall for their age; they also had the same fair skin tone. The one noticeable difference between the two was a very small color difference in their hair. While Gourry's hair was distinctly golden yellow, his brother had almost an almost pure gold look, sheen with a light brown-bronze hue.

"Joarry! You were enthusiastic last night when we were planning this! When did you become such a'fraidy cat!" Gourry walked over to meet his brother, "Here, come on, loosen up! You try it out! This is totally worth it! Besides, remember, I'm a genius, so there is absolutely NO WAY we will get caught!" Flashing an impish grin, Gourry gently grabbed his older twin's hand and shoved the sword into it.

Warming up a little, Joaren Gabriev embraced the moment and gripped the sword of light, "Gourry, you may be a genius when it comes to sword fighting, but that doesn't mean it applies to EVERYthing." Joarry emphasized. "Oh? Are you sure about that? You did see my scores from our last math and science tests didn't you?!" Gourry replied cheekily. "They were the highest in our class! I even did better than Therzin! People are always calling him the smartest of our grade. And Eliyah said that I did much better than she did when she was our age. You know how smart she is too! It's impossible for me to NOT be a genius when you sum up all the facts!"

Eliyah being the Gabriev twins' older sister, had about four years longer of a life span. While the family genetics made it very clear that she was related, there was a bit of a paradoxical nature to her personality. She took on a regal nature, possibly acquired from her elfish ancestry. While having a detached and cool demeanor, the young lady Eliyah, was also known to be very kindhearted and amiable. Many wondered how she had such opposing character qualities. Although, considering her parents odd relationship, maybe it was not too unbelievable.

The couple had a tumultuous relationship. Their feelings for each other often tipped the scale back and forth between love and hate, sometimes the rate at which the was so alarming, any innocent bystander who happen to witness their squabbles, felt the need to take shelter as if there was molten lava ready to rain from the sky.

Shaking his head, Joarry decided to ignore his boasting brother as he took a stance and launched into a sword drill their teacher had recently shown them. Finding a soft grassy spot near the forest edge, Gourry sat down and spread his legs out and leaned back on his hands to hold himself up. Watching Joaren with a serene face, Gourry took a deep breath of the fresh Spring air.

"I'm going to remember today for the rest of my life!" Gourry said out loud.

"Yes, I suppose you will…." The voice responded appearing out of nowhere.

Gourry leaped to his feet and whirled around frantically searching for the owner of the intrusive comment. Still unsuccessful, he did notice the air growing heavy with a foreboding atmosphere. The hairs on the back of his head felt all prickly.

Fighting the feeling of nausea and panic Gourry yelled at his brother who had not yet noticed the arrival of the monster. "Joarry! Get ready to fight! There's a monster!"

Joaren's whole body went rigid as his neck whipped around to look towards his twin. Halfway between the two of them appeared a man of medium stature, he was dressed in baggy black pants, a off white-sandy beige long sleeve shirt, and lavender gloves. He had a slightly knobby wooden staff in his hands which held a large red ruby at the top resting between a fork shaped opening in the wood. The unwelcomed visitor was cloaked in a black cap with light brown boots and shoulder length deep purple-black hair. There was little about his appearance that might actually indicate his true evil nature, he wore a wickedly half friendly grin and his eyes were closed.

The younger Gabriev wasted no time jumping into action. While having some teaching about general information regarding monsters, Gourry didn't have a whole lot of knowledge on how to go about fighting one. As such, it leaves no question of whether or not he would understand well enough when it is pointless to even attempt engaging in battle with such a foe.

Instead, scrambling a few feet to his left, in an attempt to swing around the mazoku to reach his brother, Gourry reached down to grab a few bigger stones that were lying on the rocky precipice. Determined to protect his brother and their families treasure, Gourry launched rocks at the intruder as hard as he could.

In his hurried attempts, the younger Gabriev twin actually made contact with a few of his projectiles. Albeit, the monster really wasn't putting any effort into moving, seeing as the rocks were as painful as a mosquito bite.

"Joarry! Take the blade out!" Gourry instructed. He wished that he had thought to bring another sword with them. Maybe it wouldn't do much against a monster, but at least it was better than rocks.

Trembling, Joarry mentally willed his hands to calm down and cooperate. After a few more seconds, the older boy was able to get the pin out and was about to call the light out, when the mazoku decided that it was time to take action. Teleporting in front of Joaren, he raised his staff and swung it into the boy's left side. Screaming as a rib was broken the boy doubled over and dropped the sword in favor of cradling his injury.

Gourry growled at their enemy, "Joaren! Throw the sword to me!" The poor boy was near in tears from the pain the creature had inflicted on him.

Lifting his staff once more, higher this time as if to use it more like a spear to stab his wounded prey, the monster's eyes opened a fraction, with malicious intent, his smile becoming sinister, "Time to say goodbye!"

"NOOO!" Gourry hurded himself into the monster, and successfully tackling him, The young Gourry pulled out the dagger that he always carried on him. Joarry with pain fueled desperation, he was hoping to see his brother escape safely. "Gourry! Get out of here! Go get Father and Grandfather!"

Ignoring his older brother, Gourry continued his pursuit. Mentally willing all his power and energy to wrap itself around the tiny weapon, Gourry thrust it into the monster's right shoulder. The blade was gleaming with a gold and blue light as it struck near where the heart would be on a normal human. The attempt proved more effective than it should have. The monster dropped the wooden staff and hissed in pain, one eye opening dangerously. "Well done!" he congratulated. "But I must say I'm sorry to disappoint you if you thought that would actually stop me."

Now Gourry had landed on his feet, he was now standing in front of Joaren. He reached down and claimed the sword of light—his previous weapon was abandoned on the ground where it had fallen between himself and the monster.

"Light come forth!" Gourry shouted. With a whirring sound, the light shot out of the empty hilt. The mazoku now opened his other eye, now both eyes were dark purple slits peering out at Gourry with intensity.

Stooping to pick up his staff, the creature regained the demeanor that he arrived in. His face now revealed closed eyes with an eerily happy smile. "How interesting! You still want to fight me? Well, I suppose I DO want to see what that sword is capable of. Even if it is only wielded by a child, this could be fun. Very well, let's see what you can do!"

Using the staff in place of a sword, the two began to go on the offensive. Or rather, Gourry went on the offensive, while the mazoku humored him. After several minutes of combat, the monster started getting bored. He decided that he didn't want to play anymore. Using the pointy end of his staff, the mazoku stabbed Gourry in his right sword arm. The staff didn't go all the way through, merely making a deep wound on his bicep. Joaren screamed "Gourry!"

Gourry managed to not drop the sword, but his grip barely held on. Whimpering a bit, he grit his teeth, and switched his hand position to primarily hold the sword with his left hand. Swinging wildly not wanting his opponent another opening to strike again, the young swordsmen attacked back.

The tactic was a wise choice, Gourry made contact with the monster's shoulder and was able to make a large gash from the middle of the right shoulder down to the previously inflicted wound.

But the mazoku was done humoring the children. He stretched out his opposite hand and sent out an energy blast, it hit Gourry in his left shoulder upper arm, sending the sword flying one way, and he fell in a heap with Joarry. They were a few feet from the edge of the cliff. Gourry got large gash on the back of his head from a sharp rock he had come in contact with in the tumble. He managed to sit up some and gently helped Joarry sit up as well.

A tight smile crossed Gourry's lips as he noticed that his brother seemed to have only obtained a few minor scratches from the blast and its aftermath.

The monster smiled pitifully at the two. "I give you credit, you managed to actually irritate me. Originally, I had not intended to kill you. But after the little stunts you pulled… Gourry was it? …. I think it might reflect badly on me in the future if I let some little boys beat me up…."

Glancing at the mazoku briefly, something else caught Gourry's eye, the sword of light! It was dangerously close to falling of the precipice. It was teetering back and forth, ready to fall over at any moment.

Without another thought, Gourry dove.

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**AN: **Yes. A cliff hanger. A bit literally. hehe. Anyway, please review! Your words mean a lot to me to know people are reading/enjoying my story. Alternatively, if you hate my story, I still won't turn away your reviews. =D So you have little excuse now!


	2. Playing with Fire

**AN: Please note, that I in no way do I own Slayers or its characters. If by any chance someone mistakenly believes I do, please let me know~! It must mean I'm pretty talented, I'd have to take up writing on a professional level! Kidding. I'll leave you now. **

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Settling down in the grassy meadow, Lina inhaled the smell of the warm, spring breeze. There was a stream merrily babbling about 20 feet from the space where she had determined would be a perfect place to nap. In the distant trees, there were birds singing energetically. With a mix between a scoff and a giggle of fond appreciation, Lina realized somehow their enthusiasm was all too similar to that of a certain Princess whom she had befriended during her travels.

Relaxing, the redhead lay down on the soft green blanked earth contentedly. Closing her eyes to begin a quick catnap, she realized it was exceptionally bright. Although, she'd have to admit, the sunlight was a welcomed addition to the day-seeing as the past two weeks had been either nonstop rain, or heavy dismal gray clouds.

Noticing a shadowy figure hovering above her, the most powerful sorceress begrudgingly pried one eye open half-heartedly. Certain what her gaze would find, she saw Gourry pause and look down at her for a moment, considering something. Then without commenting, he sidestepped with his long stride he covered the distance between them and took his place next to her deciding to lay down.

"Penny for your thoughts," the blond broke into the soft background noise. Lina couldn't help thinking his voice was smooth, rich and melodious, the focal point to the peaceful accompaniment of their surroundings.

She smiled softly. "Oh? How cheap Gourry! My thoughts are worth every cent you are carrying and then some!"

Chuckling Gourry replied, "Well, I guess I won't ask then. I really can't afford your thoughts, seeing as how I'm always the one stuck paying for our meals and rooms!"

"Hey! I pay for our meals and for the inn sometimes!" She squawked

"Sometimes!? Oh, you mean the once in every _other _blue moon? I could swear seeing that 'sore wa himitsu desu' guy more common than you actually paying ANY bill!" the blond retorted.

The atmosphere dramatically cooled; maybe it was about to downpour again? Or maybe more accurately, Lina, redheaded and hot tempered, was also very adept in other temperature extremes. Shivering, Gourry realized he was in trouble.

"Okay! I'm sorry! It must be my bad memory! I'm sure you pay your share of our expenses! Forgive me Lina? Please?" He had half turned towards her in self defense, and a morbid curiosity. His hands paused, slightly impeding his view after waving them frantically in front of his face as if somehow he could erase his comment and 'clear the air'.

It was quite amazing really, how easily he could defuse her. Much like her auqa crete could so quickly render Jillas' bombs harmless… Lina took a second to ponder how the master swordsman was one of only four people who could actually calm her down in an instant. Granted, there were occasion that nothing Gourry said or did would actually prove effective, but that was beside the point.

Besides Gourry, there was her mom. Mom's are just naturals at that—part of their nurturing 'maternal instincts' you could say. Although, there was always a bit of edge as her mom would also have a faintly intimidating air about her. Mrs. Inverse was also a force to be reckoned with—boss mom.

Her dad, well, Lina wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was daddy's little girl-much like Amelia. On second thought, scratch that, Lina had an immensely deep respect and admiration for her father. He was her first best friend. Although, as far as that position goes, it was evident that now he was tied with, or in second place to Gourry even if Lina had yet to admit it.

Lastly, and most frighteningly of all, was her elder sister Luna. How she trembled to think of her sister. Luna had a way of just looking at the redhead and calming her. Well, you probably would cower if fear too if Luna's piercing gaze of disapproval ever crossed your path. It was a learned response on Lina's part. After all the Knight of Ceiphed had put her through, there was no way our Dragon Spooker would _ever _think of letting her temper run away in Luna's presence.

The Jellyfish, well, somehow Lina couldn't stay angry at him long. Maybe it was in part due to his lack of brains, reminding her slightly of a child. Or maybe it was because he is such a skilled swordsmen, he knew how to evade harmful blows, disarming her like he would a bandit. Maybe he was smarter then she gave him credit?... Or maybe he just has good reflexes. Siding with the later, Lina sighed finally.

"To be honest, all I was thinking about was how nice the weather is today after that torrential downpour we had for the last two and half weeks!"

Brow slightly furrowed, "I don't think it was raining the whole time these past two and a half weeks. But I get your point. It has been rather gloomy lately!" Gourry finished sitting up and placing his hands on the grass behind him.

His face seemed to maintain its creased demeanor. Lina glanced at him quizzically before adding, "I intend to fully enjoy the sunshiney goodness while it lasts! Who knows? It may go back to raining for days on end! We're spending the rest of the day relaxing in the sunshine and will camp over in those woods when the sun sets!"

"I won't complain. It's not like we really had a destination in mind. It usually takes us some time to find our next goal after big events like…. Erm… uh…." Gourry trailed off trying to recall what they had last accomplished. Scrunching his face even more, he peered at Lina out of the corner of his eyes, hoping she would finish his thought.

Lina pursed her lip and then responded slowly, and a bit impatiently "Our latest adventure was defeating Shabranigdu's ghost who was unleashed by Rezo who took over Pokota's body."

"Oh yeah… That's right. I remember that… the bunny kid? He was a um…" a bit distractedly Gourry put a hand to the top right side of his head slightly above his ear. "The stuffed animal who…." Gourry closed his eyes and tried to focus.

Now beginning to search his face closer, Lina growing a bit worried asked, "Are you okay Gourry?"

"I'm just having a hard time remembering the details…" he exhaled.

Taking another moment to inspect Gourry, "There isn't anything new about that Jellyfish brains!" As Gourry took his hand off of his head, Lina flicked him where it had been resting. "Why don't you quit trying? You'll probably need me to remind you in a few weeks anyway."

With a sharp hiss, Gourry flinched and brought both hands to his head, pulling his knees up and doubling forward, he was now in the fetal position—or something akin to it. Since someone his size can't possibly curl up in a ball like a baby. Lina's hand just hung in the air like a stone statue.

There was clearly something she was missing. Panic rising, Lina felt alarmed because try as she might, she had no explanation why Gourry could be in such pain. After all they had been through, it was extremely rare for him to respond to pain this way. He would complain quite loudly in circumstances that were full of trivial bruises/injuries, like when she would inflict pain on him for being a jellyfish brain.

Never, _never_, had she seen this—Gourry had faced dark lords with her, and even when he would be significantly injured, he would tough it out while in the midst of the battle. Lina was confident of it, this guy was steel when it came to pain.

Why then did that flick hurt so much?... No, he was hurting before that…. But how? Why? We haven't even fought any serious battles for almost three months. And with all the rain, they hadn't seen a single bandit either. Did he bump his head at one of the inns? Was it the other day when she smacked him with her slipper because of the stupid comment he made about her attracting all the wrong kind of people?

"Gourry, what exactly is going on! You are scaring me! I _know _that my flick couldn't have hurt _that _much! Speak to me!" Lina leaned forward attempting to find his face around the golden silky curtain of his hair.

A split second of a groan escaped Gourry's lips. Then, with tremendous effort, he managed…. "headaches… chronic…. since….childhood".

It was something. Not that it actually did anything to alleviate the anxiety she was feeling. Gourry had chronic headaches? As a child? Had he somehow been cured? After spending almost 4 years with Gourry, he hadn't had an episode like this. Why now?

Shakily, Lina yanked off her glove and shoved her hand through Gourry's curtain and gently laid her hand on his forehead. It didn't take long for her to feel his sweaty, and an absurdly feverish skin. While removing her hand from Gourry almost as quickly as she had stretched it out Lina dug in her cloak and pulled out a small towel.

With a quick spell to wet and cool the soft pink colored linen, Lina pulled Gourry's hair back with one hand, and dabbed at his forehead with the other. "Do you remember when the last time you had one of these killer migraines was?"

Gourry was grimacing, obviously trying to work through the pain. "Would you please be quiet Lina!" he snapped harshly.

Lina drew in her breath. In all their years together, he had never spoken so harshly to her. She had always been the one with sharp words. She had heard Gourry whine and complain, use sarcasam, and even hurt her through offhanded comments, due to his clueless nature.

The previous atmosphere of a pleasant spring day, seemed particularly out of place given the pain Gourry was in, and the sheer frenzied bewilderment Lina was feeling. What could have triggered a relapse in these migraine headaches?

With jaggedly labored breathing, Gourry grabbed his hair by its roots in fistfuls and dug his fingers in to his palms. As he went more rigid, he fought the words out, "Can… you-healing…?"

"I…. don't know. It might…" She caught herself before finishing the sentence. There was a good possibility that with her limited skill with white magic, that a healing spell may not do anything to help Gourry's pain. But she could at least try. If it didn't, she planned to put him to sleep and pray that his headache would be gone when he woke up.

Ten minutes later, after three attempts to cast a healing spell, Gourry's pain seemingly remained steady, neither increasing nor subsiding, Lina resorted to a sleep spell. In bitter defeat, over an unknown, nameless foe, the sorceress tended to her protector's fever and waited restlessly for signs of lessened pain or a breaking of his fever.

After near six hours of tending to her traveling companions fever, Lina was growing weary on all levels. Noticing that her throat was parched, her stomach growled-the redhead realized despite her hunger, she had no appetite. Sighing, Lina reached for her water flask, hesitating after bringing it to her lips, she cast a glance at Gourry. Carefully, Lina slide her arm underneath Gourry and lifted him up slightly. She supported his head and gently used the opening of the flask to part Gourry's lips and slowly poured a sip of water in the slight separation the flask had created.

Pursing her own lips, Lina let out another sigh, this one filled with the frustration, anxiety and stress she felt. "What am I supposed to do? I can't get him anywhere to have a healer check him out. It is obvious he's in pain, but my healing capacity is pretty weak…" Thinking out loud Lina pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs for comfort with one arm, the other preoccupied as she went back to dabbing Gourry's forehead with a cool rag.

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_Pain was searing through his body, hot and sharp as if someone was simultaneously boiling his blood, and taking shooting needles into every pore in his skin. A whimper escaped from the child. A smooth, silky hand caressed his temple and cheek, there was a feeling of a cool clothe on his forehead. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if his brain was somehow still conscious and alert to his surroundings. For a moment there were muffled voices surrounding him, then, everything went quiet and dark._

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Silence. The atmosphere seemed still and heavy after the prolonged unconsciousness state of the young swords-master. Lina jerked as Gourry stirred. Gritting his teeth as the sound of a groan of pain escaped his mouth, "…What happened?…" Gourry rasped.

Lina's hand shot forward to test his sweaty brow to test and see if the fever was gone. To her dismay, it was still there. Although, she could tell it was no longer as intense. Now it was waning, and she hoped would be gone before morning. Gourry noticed that there was a campfire burning behind Lina—she must have built it at some point while he was out.

"How do you feel?" His question was met with one from Lina. Gourry face contorted. "Numb." While it wasn't exactly accurate, he just didn't know how else to explain how his body felt after such piercing pain. There was still pain, but it was like mind had decided to shut down all pain receptors. Or maybe, it was just that they had all been overloaded and fried?

Rephrasing his inquiry Gourry attempted to get an answer from Lina, "I don't remember what happened… How long was I out?" At this point, he managed to sit up wearily. His shoulders slumped and one hand gingerly holding his head, the other limp in his lap.

Grimacing, "Um… eight, no. Almost 9 hours. I think it is around midnight, maybe a bit after." Lina conceded. Taken aback, Gourry shook his head and tried to puzzle through what had just taken place. "I…" faltering, "I.. think we need to find a healer as soon as we can…." Gourry managed to finish. Lina looked at him, worried and confused, "I was already planning to! But we are NOT leaving until the morning. You need to rest. And so do I for that matter!" After a brief pause, apprehensive and curious she continued, "What makes you suggest it? What is it that you aren't telling me!?"

Shaking his head as he turned it away from her, "I…" with a clear wince, Gourry attempted to take a deep breath. He was rewarded with a shallow hissing sound and intense pain throbbing in his temples, and the back of his head.

"GOURRY!" Lina cried.

"Lina." Gourry chided forcefully. "Please not so loud…"

The two eyed each other warily. One obviously concerned about the mysterious circumstance which had occurred. While the other, well, let's just say, he was preoccupied with the potential nuisance of excessive noise compounding the pain which was still keeping him company—despite it never having received a welcome invitation.

"Do you need to know now?" even as he asked the question, he knew well enough what her answer would be. "Yes!" Lina said emphatically while doing her best to keep it quiet.

"I can explain more, and better, after we have a healer take care of me…. Cause it's a long story…. I really … don't…" taking another deep breath as a shot of pain coursed through his head, then traveling through his whole body, Gourry clenched his fists and bit his lip. "I get it." Lina finished.

The pain ebbed a bit, "Tomorrow, maybe I can answer questions and fill in more of the details… The simple answer is, I had an accident as a child, and nearly died."

Gourry heard Lina gasp. Biting the inside of his check to prevent a moan as another minor wave of pain coursed through him. "For years, I had spontaneous bouts of headaches. After I left home, they still continued, until I was injured in a battle." stopping again, he closed his eyes, only to re-open them with an intense look of agony dwelling in them.

Biting her own lip, Lina opened her mouth to interject; Gourry shot her a meaningful look and ever so lightly made a move to shake his head as he continued. "A healer helped me recover, and until now, I hadn't had one of these fits for, at least five year."

Unbidden, tears started prickling Lina's eyes. She caught herself before any fell. "Get some rest Jellyfish. You need it!" The realization of how much Gourry must have gone through, hit Lina to the core. She found herself regretting all the times where she had physically abused him over some stupid comment he made…. After all the pain he must have gone through, he certainly doesn't need me adding to it no matter how small!

The petite twenty-year old redhead determined, starting now, she would not hit him anymore….

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**AN:** To clear any possible confusion, the paragraph in the middle in italics between two lines, is a flash back.


	3. No Pain--No Gain

_**Disclaimer:**_

_It should probably be obvious that my writing skills are clearly not on the professional level. Which leaves little doubt that I do __**NOT OWN**__ Slayers, any of its characters._

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**Chapter 3: No Pain—No Gain**

Grimacing into the crackling fire, Gourry cut into Lina's thoughts "You should get some rest," he said quietly. "Before you argue that I need it more than you do, let me finish…"

Lina froze with her mouth open, already prepared to interject. "I was already asleep for several hours right…?"

Gourry gingerly touched his head, closing his eyes for a second, then reopening them and continuing "I am pretty confident that sleeping isn't going to get rid of this headache. Tomorrow …" Wincing he trailed off and Lina bit her lip, desperately wanting to interrupt, but seeing him try to push through all the pain to communicate something made her think better of it.

After striving to take a deep breath, Gourry added "Just take a few hours to sleep. If you…" he stopped once again, this time in search of a way to convince Lina to get some rest. "We don't know how skilled the healer will be in the next town." Moaning, Gourry closed his eyes and grabbed his head again.

Lina picked up on his train of thought, finally cutting in to help him, "I will rest for three hours." She stated. Peering out from his right eye, which was still half closed, Gourry's eyes shone with pain and a hint of surprise.

Before he spoke up, Lina added, "You're right, one of us should be able to at least halfway function. Even though I've pulled plenty of all-nighters before, we don't know what to expect so I guess I can snag a few hours of sleep while I can."

Anxious to try and comfort Gourry in some fashion, she shot him a small smile then finished "Thank's Gourry."

Reaching into a pocket in her cape, Lina pulled out a pocket watch. The item was made from silvery gold colored metal. It was engraved with a sunflower in a grass field. The chain dangling from the beautiful piece, was delicate, its links were shaped like petals, rather than typical circle-oval chain. It couldn't have been much bigger than the size of a shelled walnut.

Opening it up, Lina blinked at it; then pulled a delicate knob that only slightly protruded from the right side of the object. After winding it to the time she desired, she gave a small nod and looked back at Gourry.

The blond observed quietly as Lina finished her preparation. Gourry's face crumpled once more as he commented wearily, "What does that do?"

Lina pursed her lips in a thin line. "It's a pocket watch it was a gift from my mother when I turned thirteen and passed my test at the guild. Momma cast a spell on it to make it play song when it goes off. Since it is a pocket watch, it already has the time, all I have to do when I want to use it, is turn the knob to the time I want the alarm to go off."

Lina glanced up at Gourry and met his eyes, even in the darkness; the dim crackling light of the fire was enough to see the hollow look in his normally bright orbs.

The sight was distressing. It seemed as if he was barely conscious. Gourry's eyes shut as he concentrated, his breathing a bit ragged—"That's great." Lina heard the attempt at a smile in his voice, but noticed the demeanor on his face lacked any other emotional cues aside from agonizing pain.

With a grimace of her own, Lina hesitated, "I really don't like this, I…" after some deliberation, she finished "promise you'll wake me if you start feeling worse?"

There was a weak attempt from Gourry to raise his hand in acknowledgement. In the end, he barely removed its resting place in his lap. Although, it seemed that his futile gesture had somehow appeased Lina.

"Good." With a slight nod, Lina turned over make an attempt at sleep for a few hours…

Gourry swallowed hard, and sat with his eyes scrunched close for several moments. Then, taking a glance at Lina as she lay beside the fire, he wondered if she'd actually try and sleep, or just lay there for the allotted time.

' _Honestly, despite telling Gourry I'd sleep, I don't know if I will even be able to… Not because I'm not tired. No. But with so little information, and knowing Gourry's still in pain and that I can do little to help him, well, all together, it's a perfect setup for insomnia'. _Lina mussed to herself.

Slowly, with the intent to not disturb Lina, and because he was still racked with pain, Gourry stood. He was very cautious, only taking a few small steps despite his capacity for long ones, in the silence of the night, the murmuring cackles of the fire being the only sound noticeable.

Gourry reached his destination, he gradually lowered himself to the ground. Beside him was a backpack made of a canvas-denim type material. It was sandy-beige in color with a flap on the top coving its opening, and a drawstring with a leather cinch. The pack also had two thin leather straps that secured the backpack closed by fastening into two metal snaps.

A yelp nearly escaped the blonde's mouth before he caught it. Sheering hot mini lances, shot through his head, with a bit of an overflow effect into his back spinal cord, mostly in his neck and where his neck met his shoulders.

As it subsided, Gourry managed to take a few deep breathes, then he continued to accomplish his task. Unlatching his traveling bag, he stuck one hand in and rummaged around for a small round tin.

When it was located, Gourry noticed a stir from Lina. With a sigh, he realized since he hadn't waited long enough, there was almost no way that his girlfriend, _that is, he wished he could claim her as such…_ was asleep already.

Another wave of pain coursed though Gourry's temples and around to the back of his skull. Fumbling to take the lid of the little tin, a few tears began forming in the young man's eyes. They had taken up residence without warning, guests of the unwarranted bout of pain that had arrived hours earlier.

Gourry heaved a sigh of relief when he got the lid off. Then raised the little container, which was a bit smaller than the size of the palm of his hand, to his nose. Inhaling the rich smell of lavender he instantly felt a tiny fraction of relief from the pain.

' _What is he doing?!' _Lina fought between curiosity, and her desire to keep her promise to Gourry to get some sleep. Even if she wasn't able to sleep, the least she could do was try…

The fire cackled some more, with a sputter and spitting, it quickly swallowed up the sprigs of lavender that Gourry had fed it just seconds prior.

Once more, Lina shifted a fraction. Then she took a deep breath. _'What?... why do I smell flowers…? This is…?' _

"I hope you don't mind lavender too much. It helps with the pain….and maybe it will help you rest too?" Gourry added, as if I had read Lina's mind.

'_So he KNOWS I'm not asleep?...I can't believe he's so alert … with… s..mu…ch pain.' _Lina drifted off to sleep as the lavender continued to flood her system.

The cool night air was sweet with the fragrance of the dried flowers which had just been incinerated.

Gourry sighed as he noticed Lina's breathing even out to a gentle slumber. Taking a moment to force a smile on his pained face, he pulled out his sword and began a simple sword drill set.

His movements were sluggish. He grimaced. "Come on, you can do better than this. You've been through far worse!" Gourry reprimanded himself. Whipping his sword around as he spun his body to slice at an invisible foe, he completed his strike swiftly.

But the attack immediately revealed its repercussions. No sooner than he had 'felled' his imaginary opponent, Gourry's head felt the dizziness at full force—dropping his sword, he stumbled, crumpling to his knees.

"I guess practicing isn't the best way to fight off the pain…" Gourry laughed bitterly. Tentatively, Gourry planted one foot on the ground in attempt to stand up; he was met with nausea and more dizziness.

"Okay, I get it, sword maintenance here I come…." Rather than testing his luck and walking over to his bag, the tall blond swordsman made his way there by crawling on his hands and knees. Digging in his bag once more, Gourry pulled out a whetstone, and then a cloth.

"I wonder if there is any chance I can get my hands on Lina's sword without waking her up? Although, attempting to take something from her while she's sleeping is pretty much a death wish…"

Gourry mused out loud while glancing at where the sorceress was sleeping, her sword still attached at her left hip.

Shrugging off the thought, Gourry went to work on cleaning and sharpening his sword. He was surprised that the mindless task actually significantly helped to alleviate his pain. The task didn't last long though, even though he tried to finish it as slowly as possible.

With a quick glance at Lina, then up at the starry night sky, Gourry determined that he still had at least another hour before he expected Lina to wake up.

Mumbling to himself "Maybe I have a death wish after all…"

From where he was sitting, Gourry's long arms were just barely able to reach Lina. Scooting closer, Gourry's hand touched Lina's head cautiously, he stroked her hair.

He sat there, mesmerized by the soft smooth feel of her fiery red locks. A half hour later, Gourry's headache had eased a bit. The effect of the lavender he had thrown in the fire was long since worn off. Somehow, when his headache had started to throb again, the blond had managed to find pain relief in caressing Lina's head.

"Can't get too comfortable here though, if Lina wakes up to this, well, my headache will be the least of my worries…." Gourry commented to himself.

"Didn't I come over to try and take her sword so I could sharpen it…?" Shaking his head ruefully, "If I remember right, my family did always say my headaches seemed to dull my memory…"

With one hand still resting gently on Lina's head, Gourry leaned over her ever so slightly and skillfully detached her sword sheath from her belt. Most swords were worn with the sheath looped through the owner's belt.

Lina had always insisted that hers was fastened on separately with a special strap of its own. Gourry had never understood, but at this moment in time, he was incredibly grateful. When he had first learned how Lina wore her sword, he had practically insisted that she should wear hears in the traditional fashion.

"I guess I have to be thankful for Lina's stubbornness…" Gourry smiled thinly. "Didn't she say something like, if there was an emergency and you wanted to get the sword and sheath off together, it's near impossible to do it quickly…? Not that there are many occasions where that is necessary, but still, it does come in handy."

Lina shifted a fraction. As Gourry straightened up, panic set in. _"I'm dead!"_

Gourry squeezed his eyes shut gripping Lina's short sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. A few more seconds passed, and he heard Lina's soft steady breathing. _"She's still sleeping?!" _Relaxing his grip, Gourry took the sheath off the sword and began his task of caring for Lina's weapon.

About a half hour later, after he had completed his task, Gourry wondered how he was going to refasten Lina's weapon to her belt. Getting it off was one thing, but putting it back, well, that would take more stealth than Xelloss and Zelgadiss combined possessed…

Gourry figured that it might be safer to just leave it off and hope that Lina didn't remember that it wasn't her who removed the weapon.

Yet, he knew Lina well enough to know it was unlikely for her to miss something like that. She would almost certainly notice. Perhaps she wouldn't press the issue since he was already dealing with a severe headache?

Shaking his head, Gourry moved to fasten the sword to Lina's hip, while planting a quick peck on her forehead.

Righting himself as he completed his task, Gourry brushed the hair from Lina's face. She was still sleeping soundly. Minutes passed. His hand was still resting on Lina's head.

Suddenly the silence was broken with the soft sound of a melody being hummed; the source came from the watch Lina had set.

Before he knew it, Gourry had put a distance between himself and Lina. Now he was on the other side of the fire. Scowling in pain as the throbbing started again; he caught a glance of Lina stirring. Gourry reached for his bag and began placing the straggling items he was recently using, back within it. Once he had finished, Lina had finally woken up and was stretching her arms out.

Lina glanced over at Gourry, thinking how she should acknowledge him. While she was still deciding if 'good morning' was acceptable given the situation, Lina caught Gourry staring at her and was met with a quiet, almost terse, "How'd you sleep?"

There was a twinge of guilt that ran through her before she stated "Rather well actually…" As she trailed off, Lina wished she could have the comfort of knowing that Gourry's headache situation had improved. Judging from the tone of his recent comment, there was little hope of such an agreeable change of circumstance.

"How are you doing?" Even though the answer was pretty obvious, Lina had ventured to inquire anyway.

"Is there anything you need before we head out to find a healer?" A moment's pause, then, "If there is any way I can help… please tell me!" Her voice was quivering as she voiced her plea.

The fire crackled and popped. "Mhhm k." Gourry was all he said in affirmation. His eyes closed momentarily as another bout hit him. Lina could see his whole body tighten.

Tears threatened to make a visit at the door of Lina's eyes. Dashing them away in haste, Lina stood up, swooped up their bags, then she doused the fire with a weak 'auqa crete'.

Sunrise was still a few hours away, but the sky was definitely less black. Lina extended her hand to pull Gourry up. "Let's get going!

With that, our favorite couple headed off to find the nearest town and a healer.


	4. Himitsu Desu

**Disclaimer: **

_Gourry doesn't belong to me. He is property of... erm, belongs to...er... belongs with! That's it, Gourry belongs with the one who goes by the name of Lina Inverse. I wouldn't dream of separating the two of them. That would be a rather deadly choice. No one takes Gourry from Lina! =D And for the record, none of the other characters from Slayers belong to me... I guess Joaren does, but that's about it. Now on with the story!_

* * *

Complete blackness—pain—a flash of cold shivered through him, followed by intense heat.

Wet, and sticky, the temperature fluctuations continued to swiftly course through the child's mangled body. He laid in a mess of water that was muddied reddish, as well as contaminated with the kicked up dirt and sand at the edge of the pool which formed beneath the roaring cascade. In contrast to the surroundings, the boy's body laid silent.

As the moments passed, his skin color was rapidly changing to a disturbing ashen color. Still in tight in his grasp, or at the very least, still held in hand, was the sword of light.

* * *

"Gourry!" Joaren screamed hysterically.

"Gourry!" Conscious of the tears stinging his eyes, the older twin boy did nothing to remove them. Trying to fight the panic that was suffocating him, Joaren frantically scoped his surroundings. It was surprisingly vacant. But that did little to comfort the poor child.

_'There must be a path that leads to the bottom of the cliff! I have to find him! What if?!' _Cutting the thought of abruptly, refusing to consider the morbid possibility that was threatening.

Scrambling to his feet, wincing, the young boy started off towards the edge of the clearing where there was a bit of a slope, it turned out that there was also a break in the cliff, creating a sort of big step down towards the pool below.

_'One step at a time'_ Joaren thought bitterly. He managed to climb down and found another steep level below him.

Despite being a more direct route, the realization hit him that it was going to take quite a long time to scuttle down the rocks to attempt to locate his brother.

Hot tears once again flooded his eyes. Pain shooting through his broken ribs, as well as fear for his younger brother.

* * *

At the bottom of the cliff, was a small child and what appeared to be a full grown man. The child, Gourry, still unconscious from his injuries, the 'man' simply was grimacing down at the pitiable mangled thing.

Something was eating at him.

The sword of light was well within reach and now easily attainable. Yet, somehow, the mazoku just stood there, wavering.

_'Just grab the stupid thing, then get out of here and be done with it!' _the monster tried convincing himself.

_'I can't believe that a-**child **was so willing to die fighting me when he knew he was so clearly outmatched. Let **alone** the fact that he also jumped off the cliff to **save **his family treasure from being lost. After hundreds of year, and so many battles, this has to be a first.'_

The creature shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. _'It's not like I actually was ordered to steal it. There is a chance that Beastmaster could punish me for taking such bold actions on my own without clearing it with her first…' _

His grimace took on a deeper look, merging with something of a scowl as his eyebrows knit together. _'Well, I guess I'll leave the sword. Maybe I'll collect it another time.'_

That gnawing feeling had yet to subside. The mazoku caught a glance at the fragile and fading Elmikian child. _'_

_Hmm… After the courage and skill this child showed, it would be a pity to let him die so young. _

_After all, maybe there will be another chance for some fun… I don't often get many challenging opponents…_

_ Even though he really wouldn't' have been a challenge if I was serious, the kid used my miscalculation of his strength to his advantage. _

_When he grows up he may actually be a threat. But doesn't that make things more fun? '_

Finally, shrugging at the last thought—he sighed.

The masochistically inclined individual was fully aware he was alone with the mangled child.

_'At least there won't be anyone to think I've gone **crazy **or worse **soft**…' _the mazoku quickly kneeled, laying his staff beside him.

Gathering a purple-black orb of energy in his left hand, while attempting to ensure that no hairs or anything else was in the way of the wound, he held the crackling ball inches from the grave gash. As he held it there, a horrid smell of blood and burnt hair was emitted into the atmosphere.

* * *

A heartrending scream pierced Joaren's ears. "Gourry!" was all he could comprehend.

The boy increased his scurrying with renewed hope.

"That means he is alive and conscious!"

Talking to himself out-loud for added comfort, Joaren pushed through the pain that kept trying to claim his attention.

"I'm coming Gourry! Hold on!"

Gourry bit back the rainfall of tears as he whimpered.

* * *

The excruciating throbbing of his head was certainly not a pleasant way to wake up. Not to mention the other injuries Gourry had received as a casualty of skirmish with the mazoku.

Although, undoubtedly the worst part of the situation had to be finding the creature who was the sole cause of said situation.

Shock, mixed with pain, and fear crossed the pitiful child's face. He struggled to maintain calm and tried to collect himself. Gourry finally acquired a somewhat determined expression.

"What happened? And what are you doing?" He asked, curiosity beginning to creep in. "Why didn't you get rid of me? Don't you want my sword?"

"Are you saying you want to die kid?" with a sadistic chuckle, the purple haired monster raised his eyebrows. "I can make that happen if you'd like."

Gourry felt a wave of nausea and dizziness sweep over him. Then it was followed by a fierce bout of pain. Sobbing, even though he wanted to try and look tough and grown up, the blond swordfighter really was still a young child.

As the pain dulled a bit, another question managed to be ground out. "You aren't going to finish me off? Who are you?"

"You know, if you keep bugging me with questions, I might just decide to finish you off! Show some gratitude kid! I just saved you little life!" Came the biting reply.

Pale and wide eyed, Gourry floundered for something to say. After a few moments passed, he opted that silence was probably the best option. Then as the significance of the comment registered in his struggling brain, he remembered his manners.

"Thank you for saving me!" a momentarily pause then Gourry continued, "Wait? How did you save my life? I mean you are the one who attacked me after all!"

Sighing heavily, "Okay, enough with the questions!" he responded. _'If I had known I was going to be grilled about my actions, I probably would have left him to die!' _

"Let's get things set straight. If you want to know the details…. Well... you jumped of that big bad cliff over there, attempting to retrieve the sword of light like some kind of puppy. You severely damaged your head. I did a temporary fix."

"Since I'm a mazoku, I can't do anything more to treat your injury. Your brother is coming to find you. He should be here in a few more minutes."

Wooziness coursed through Gourry again.

"I can't believe a mazoku saved my life…. Thank you… um…" A torrent of agonizing pain spiraled from the dangerous wound. "But why did you save me?"

"Didn't I say I'm not answering your questions?"

_'Okay, I can't simply lose my temper and ruin my poker face over too many irritating questions from a child…. What should I do?... Ignore them? No, that shows that can show I'm annoyed. How about…. no.. Oh! I got it!' _

"Alright boy, to answer your question... 'Sore wa, himitsu desu'."

A smug smirk returned to the face of the 'would be hero' mazoku. Almost sensing another question formulating in Gourry's head, the creature interrupted before the blond child could speak.

"I have given you all the information you need. Any other answers you might want… 'that, is a secret'.:." was the arrogant reply.

Gourry grimaced. "I was going to ask 'what is your name'? Mazoku have names too right? It seems wrong to not know the name of someone who saved my life. Even if the person… well, creature, was a monster."

"Hmm…. I suppose you have a valid point." _'I do need to be careful he doesn't spread any rumors though… then my reputation really WILL BE ruined.'_

"There is one condition kid; you will tell no one I saved you, 'that is a secret' between you and me. If you tell anyone, I will make sure to undo my little patchwork and turn you into a child sized piece of swiss cheese. Do you got that?"

A clearly audible gulp resounded from Gourry then, "Yes".

"My name is Xelloss. Xelloss Metalium." The trickster priest threw in a mock bow. "Nice meeting you Gourry Gabriev."

"How did you know my name? I didn't introduce myself." Came the weak reply.

"I have my ways of knowing… but 'that is a secret!'" Xelloss returned. "It's been a pleasure, but I must be going now. Your brother will be here any moment, and I have other matters to attend to. Ta ta for now!"

After Xelloss vanished, Gourry head began spinning so hard. "What just happened?" The boy spoke as if trying to obtain an answer from himself or perhaps his surroundings. After a moment, when no-one responded, the pain from his injuries began to overtake him, and he returned to the darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: **My apologies for a short chapter. I intended to make it longer. But it came so neatly to an end, that I just couldn't force myself to continue. The line break is basically used to imply a shift in scene/location. Timing is essentially continuous and does not jump. Rather, think of both settings happening simultaneously. I hope that isn't confusing! Please review! Let me know what you think!


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